Samsung latest smartphone maker to jump on free trial bandwagon

When did offering shoppers free in-home trials of new smartphones become the hot thing for manufacturers and carriers to do? All of a sudden it feels like everyone’s getting involved with one of these arrangements, from Motorola’s two-week Moto X trial for just one cent, to T-Mobile with its seven-day iPhone 5S loaners. Now it’s Samsung’s turn to go after consumers who need a little more hands-on time with a phone before making up their mind, announcing the start of its own twenty-one-day trial program.

The nice thing about Samsung’s offer is that it covers a range of devices: you can try out a Galaxy S5, Note 3, or one of the company’s Gear wearables – Samsung will go so far as to let you take home both a phone and a wearable, so you can see how they function together. Even carrier service is included, so you don’t have to worry about adding a loaner device to your account.

You’ll have to present a credit card on deposit in case of damages, but otherwise the loaner program is free to use. Sound too good to be true? Well, there is one big catch: you need to physically stop by a participating Samsung Galaxy Studio location to get started, and there are only five of those across the US – two in Texas, two in California, and one in New York City.

That takes the air out of this offer a little, but it still sounds like a pretty nice program, and we’re curious to see which OEM might next follow Motorola and Samsung with a loaner arrangement of its own.

Stephen has been writing about electronics since 2008, which only serves to frustrate him that he waited so long to combine his love of gadgets and his degree in writing. In his spare time, he collects console and arcade game hardware, is a motorcycle enthusiast, and enjoys trapping blue crabs. Stephen's first mobile device was a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30, which he's convinced is still a viable platform. Stephen longs for a market where phones are sold independently of service, and bandwidth is cheap and plentiful; he's not holding his breath. In the meantime, he devours smartphone news and tries to sort out the juicy bitsRead more about Stephen Schenck!